OTTAWA - Despite the suicides of three Afghan war veterans this week, a military psychiatrist says there has not been a recent increase in suicide rates among Canadian Forces members.

But those numbers are expected to rise within the next decade as the stress of combat takes hold in soldiers who have returned from the fighting in Afghanistan, Col. Rakesh Jetly said Friday.

That is a troubling prospect as the military grapples with the latest rash of suicides, which are shining a spotlight on the programs the military has available for dealing with cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Critics have also questioned how the Canadian Forces tracks suicides among its members, and whether the numbers paint an accurate picture.

The military doesn't include suicides among reservists in the data, even though it keeps tabs on them, leading to speculation that the actual rates may be much higher.

"We track them, we have them, we do investigate. If a Class B reservist (completes a suicide) we'll do an investigation there as well." Jetly told a teleconference Friday.

"The problem is, it's been very, very difficult for us within the organization to actually accurately capture reservists," he explained.

"We're just afraid that if we just sort of start trying to tabulate them that the numbers will be misleading."

Military police are investigating. The army has identified the victim as Warrant Officer Michael McNeil of 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.

The Defence Department is also probing the deaths of two other soldiers in Western Canada.

Friends have identified one soldier as Master Cpl. William Elliott. Authorities will only say they are investigating the death Tuesday of a soldier at a home just outside CFB Shilo in Manitoba.

An artillery soldier also died in hospital Monday after he was found in distress at a correctional centre in Lethbridge, Alberta. The man, identified by friends as Travis Halmrast, was being held on charges of domestic assault when he died.

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson noted Thursday that the government has poured millions of dollars into treatment and counselling programs for soldiers returning from combat since 2011.

Still, he called the latest deaths "very troubling."

While Canada continuously looks to other countries to see what programs they use to help reduce suicide rates, Jetly said many of those other countries look to Canada for examples of programs that work.

Opposition critics, however, say the government has not put enough resources into programs that would prevent suicides.

"We need a system in place to ensure that we can identify where the failing is," said New Democrat MP Matthew Kellway. "At this point in time it's not clear that we have that system."

The Defence Department has not released suicide figures for last year, but the latest figures show that 22 full-time members took their own lives in 2011.

Liberal defence critic Joyce Murray urged the Canadian Forces to bolster programs for family members of soldiers returning from combat.

"There are severe stresses on the families that are not adequately addressed," she said. "So when a person is injured in service, that adds stress. I think having more supports for the family, there's clearly a call for that."

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Allan Tanner, 88, salutes at the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Grande Parade in Halifax on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. Tanner joined the merchant navy in 1939 at age 14. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Juno Beach veteran Gerry MacDonald gets some protection from the cold at the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Grand Parade in Halifax on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Major-General Dean Milner, Commander of the Canadian Contribution Training Mission-Afghanistan, signs his name on the Remembrance Day cloth, which was draped over the podium for the final Remembrance Day held by Canadian soldiers in Kabul on Monday, Nov.11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho-DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE-Sgt Norm McLean - Canadian Forces Combat Camera

Two Canadian Armed Forces soldiers salute on the last Remembrance Day ceremony in Afghanistan at Camp Eggers in Kabul on Monday, Nov.11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho-DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE-Sgt Norm McLean - Canadian Forces Combat Camera

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford speaks from the podium at the cenotaph during the Remembrance Day service in Toronto on Monday, November 11, 2013.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Montreal mayor Denis Coderre approaches to lay a wreath during Remembrance Day ceremonies Monday, November 11, 2013 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and wife Laureen place a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Monday, November 11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Governor General David Johnston and his wife Sharon place a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Monday, November 11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Silver Cross Mother Niki Psiharis places a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Monday, November 11, 2013.The legion website states that, "Psiharis lost her youngest son, Sergeant Chris Karigiannis, when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle approximately 40km west of Kandahar City, Afghanistan on 20 June 2007 - less than two months from his scheduled return home in August." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Governor General David Johnston and his wife Sharon place a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Monday, November 11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Troops line up behind the wreaths during Remembrance Day ceremonies Monday, November 11, 2013 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson